Spirit City's Little Drunkard

A Little Wine-Drinker in Spirit City

Spirit City.

Awakening Hall.

Just as dawn broke, the space outside the hall was already packed with people.

Today was the day of martial soul awakening.

Six-year-old children stood in a row; some were so nervous their faces turned pale, some clutched their parents' clothes and refused to let go, and others peeked secretly into the hall, their eyes brimming with anticipation.

On Douluo Continent, martial soul awakening was the very first threshold.

Cross it, and one might become a Soul Master.

Fail to cross it, and most would spend the rest of their days as ordinary people.

That was why no one dared to cause a ruckus outside the hall.

Yet today's Awakening Hall was even quieter than in previous years.

Because seated inside the hall were several powerful figures who rarely showed themselves under normal circumstances.

Azure Luan Douluo sat in the side hall, a cup of cold tea placed beside his hand.

Ling Yuan Douluo leaned against a white jade pillar, her fingers tapping rhythmically against her arm.

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan stood on the other side, his fingertips pinching a tiny golden flower.

Ghost Douluo said nothing, his shadow cast against the corner of the wall.

Several Red Cardinals lowered their heads, even softening their breathing.

With this kind of lineup, if it were an ordinary child, their legs would have turned to jelly long ago.

Yet the child who should have arrived the most today had not yet shown up.

A Red Cardinal checked the time, unable to keep from whispering, "Where is Yuan Yu?"

Ling Yuan Douluo's face darkened.

Chrysanthemum Douluo chuckled.

"Where else could he be? Either he's climbing walls, or he's stealing wine."

Azure Luan Douluo raised his eyes to look at him.

Chrysanthemum Douluo reined in his smile and gave a light cough.

"I was just speaking off the cuff."

Yet everyone knew his guess was close to the mark.

The name Yuan Yu was far too recognizable in Spirit City.

An orphan raised by the Worship Hall.

He grew up clean and fair-skinned, his eyes would curve whenever he smiled, and he addressed everyone he saw with sweet familiarity.

Yet when it came to stirring up trouble, he truly did not hold back.

At age three, he climbed the roof of the Worship Hall, saying he wanted to see if the clouds tasted sweet.

At age four, he flooded Chrysanthemum Douluo's flowerbeds into a pond, claiming the flowers needed to learn how to swim.

At age five, he hugged Qian Daoliu's wine jar and fell asleep right at the hall entrance, his first words upon waking being: "Grand Priest, this wine is a bit spicy."

If it were any other child, they would have long since been punished and forbidden from stepping outside.

Yet he was Yuan Yu.

Ling Yuan was always talking about beating him up, but in the end, she would simply haul him back by the scruff of the neck.

Azure Luan looked cold, yet every time Yuan Yu was punished, he was the one who had hangover soup prepared.

Even over at the Papal Hall, Yuan Yu dared to go.

When he was little, he carried a cup of tea over to Bibi Dong's side and said, "Teacher, drink something warm, and your heart won't feel so cold."

That day, the Papal Hall had been frighteningly quiet.

Bibi Dong did not take the tea.

Nor did she chase him out.

That was enough.

The bell outside the hall rang three times.

Ling Yuan Douluo could no longer hold back.

"I'll go find him."

Just as she was about to move, the hurried sound of footsteps drifted in from outside the hall doors.

The next instant, the door was pushed open.

A white-clad young boy was carried in by the back of his collar, hoisted by Ling Yuan.

The boy appeared to be about six years old, his black hair somewhat unkempt, his cheeks slightly flushed, and his arms tightly clutching a small wine gourd.

He lifted his toes off the ground and did not forget to wave toward the hall.

"Morning, everyone."

With that, he even let out a hiccup.

"Hiccup."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

The row of children outside stared in absolute shock.

The Red Cardinal's mouth twitched.

Today was the Martial Soul awakening.

Such a major day.

He was drunk?

Ling Yuan set Yuan Yu down on the ground and raised a hand to rap him on the forehead.

"When I found you by the backyard pond, you were hugging a wine jar and chatting with the fish."

Yuan Yu covered his forehead, looking very aggrieved.

"That fish stared at me first."

"What did it stare at you for?"

"Staring at how good-looking I am."

Chrysanthemum Douluo could not help it and chuckled out loud.

Ghost Douluo stood in the corner, his shoulders also twitching slightly.

Azure Luan Douluo looked over.

Yuan Yu immediately stood straight and hid his Wine Gourd behind his back.

"Grandpa Azure, I really didn't drink much."

Azure Luan said calmly, "You said that last time, too."

Yuan Yu muttered softly, "Last time, the jar was too big."

Ling Yuan raised her hand again.

Yuan Yu immediately shut his mouth.

The Red Cardinal felt a headache coming on.

He had seen nervous children, crying children, and children spouting nonsense before their awakening.

Coming to awaken while drunk was truly a first.

Deep within the side hall, a steady voice came from behind the golden curtains.

"Begin."

It was Qian Daoliu.

Everyone inside the hall instantly wiped the smiles off their faces.

The Red Cardinal stepped forward, took out six black Awakening Stones, and arranged them in a hexagonal array.

He looked at Yuan Yu, trying to keep his voice gentle.

"Yuan Yu, step inside."

Yuan Yu hugged his Wine Gourd and walked forward.

Just two steps in, Ling Yuan reached out.

"Give me the gourd."

Yuan Yu perked up all at once.

"It keeps my courage up."

Ling Yuan raised an eyebrow. "You still need courage?"

"What if I awaken a wine jar Martial Soul?"

"Then I'll stuff you into a jar."

Yuan Yu sighed and reluctantly handed over the Wine Gourd.

"The mortal world isn't worth it."

The several children nearby turned red from holding in their laughter.

The Red Cardinal almost burst out laughing, too.

He took a deep breath and poured Soul Power into the Awakening Stones.

Golden light rose.

Yuan Yu stood in the center of the array, the drunkenness on his face slowly fading away.

Points of light surged from all directions, burrowing into his palms, bones, and blood.

He looked down at his hands.

A little warm.

And a little cold.

A very faint blade hum also rang in his mind.

It was like someone was calling him from far away.

The Red Cardinal said, "Don't be afraid, feel it, summon out your Martial Soul."

Yuan Yu closed his eyes.

The next instant, all the lamps in the Awakening Hall went out simultaneously.

The children screamed in alarm.

The Red Cardinal's expression shifted.

Azure Luan Douluo stood up.

Behind the curtain, Qian Daoliu's hand pressed against the armrest.

In the darkness, a sliver of white light lit up in Yuan Yu's palm.

That light was not large.

Yet it was very sharp.

Like the first flash of blade light before dawn.

Yuan Yu opened his eyes.

A slender blade slowly formed in his palm.

The blade body was silver-white, with faint golden fine lines along the back of the blade.

The blade hum suddenly burst forth.

Hum!

The entire Awakening Hall shook along with it.

Outside the hall, the weapons in the hands of many Tool Soul Masters in Spirit City trembled simultaneously.

Someone gripped a long spear tightly.

Someone looked down at a saber.

There were even temple-guarding knights subconsciously pressing against their sheathed swords.

They did not know what had happened.

They only knew that just now, their Martial Souls seemed to have bowed their heads to some kind of blade.

Inside the Awakening Hall, Yuan Yu looked at the blade in his hand and blinked.

"Is this my Martial Soul?"

Ling Yuan stared at that blade, her gaze changing.

Chrysanthemum Douluo stopped smiling as well.

Azure Luan Douluo took a step closer.

"Hold it steady."

Yuan Yu looked at him. "What happens if I don't hold it steady?"

Azure Luan said, "You'll be dragged along by it in reverse."

Yuan Yu muttered in a low voice, "Then its temper isn't very good."

No one answered.

Because on the blade body, nine extremely faint patterns were lighting up inch by inch.

That group of children outside the hall also saw the light.

They did not understand what that was; they only felt that once that blade came out, the Martial Soul imprints in the palms of their own hands grew warm along with it.

A child who had just awakened a small-knife Martial Soul looked down at his hand, then secretly looked at Yuan Yu, his face filled with bewilderment.

Both were blades.

The gap was simply too vast.

The Red Cardinal was even more nervous.

He had presided over many awakenings, having seen good Martial Souls and also seen waste Martial Souls.

Yet he had never seen a Martial Soul's emergence that could cause the entire Awakening Hall to vibrate along with it.